By Balticnews.com.
Once close regional partners, Iran and Israel have traveled a long road from covert cooperation to deep enmity. Prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the two nations maintained diplomatic relations and shared economic and military ties – especially in the oil and defense sectors. Iran, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, recognized Israel de facto and served as a strategic ally for the West and for Tel Aviv in a predominantly hostile Arab region.
Everything changed after 1979. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, having overthrown the monarchy, reshaped Iran’s foreign policy around resistance to Western influence and categorical opposition to Israel’s legitimacy. Tehran severed diplomatic ties, declared Israel an “illegitimate occupier,” and began supporting armed groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. In turn, Israel viewed Iran’s growing regional influence – especially through its “axis of resistance” – as an existential threat.
The long-standing rivalry between Iran and Israel has erupted into open military confrontation, marking the most significant escalation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. What began as a covert struggle – cyberattacks, proxy militias, and sabotage – has turned into a tangible clash of missile strikes and air raids, rippling far beyond the region and carrying significant global cybersecurity consequences.
Following decades of tension, Iran’s post-1979 foreign policy has relied on ideological opposition to Israel and support for armed groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, aiming to assert influence across the Middle East. Israel, in turn, has aligned closely with Gulf nations and fortified its military and cyber capabilities to counter Tehran’s ambitions.
In June 2025, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities in Tehran, Natanz, Isfahan, and other strategic sites. Iran responded with ballistic missiles and drone attacks, some breaching Israeli air defences and inflicting civilian casualties. These military strikes appear aimed not only at destroying physical infrastructure but also at weakening internal security institutions – potentially destabilizing Iran’s leadership structure.
The crisis deepened with direct U.S. involvement. The newly re-elected President Donald Trump’s administration acknowledged carrying out targeted strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, signaling alignment with Israel and heightening fears of a broader regional confrontation. While such actions may constrain Iran militarily, they raise legal, diplomatic, and geopolitical tensions.
In addition to the kinetic onslaught, the conflict is increasingly playing out in cyberspace. According to SecAlliance, Iran has spent the past decade engaging Israel in cyber-espionage, sabotage, and influence operations. As hostilities intensify, Tehran appears motivated to escalate digitally. While a large-scale Iranian cyberattack remains unlikely, ongoing efforts to infiltrate and disrupt Israeli military, governmental, and critical-infrastructure systems are expected. SecAlliance warns these operations may extend beyond Israel to countries seen as supporting its actions, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, even if Western entities are unlikely to be significantly affected at this stage.
The analysis suggests that Iran’s cyber capabilities, while less developed than Israel’s, remain potent enough to conduct espionage and limited sabotage. Hacktivist groups, often aligned informally with Tehran, have launched Denial-of-Service campaigns, defacements, and data dumps – actions described as symbolically powerful, if not strategically decisive.
Even as diplomatic voices urge caution and highlight critiques of nuclear alarmism – as Cyprus Mail recently underscored – reminding us that Iran’s supreme leaders have declared nuclear arms religiously forbidden, the cyber front introduces new complexity. While Iran’s declared religious aversion to nuclear weapons may temper certain narratives, the nation’s willingness to retaliate through digital means makes the conflict multifaceted, with economic and civilian stakes.
The ongoing conflict has real consequences. Iranian missile reserves are said to be diminishing; reports also point to mounting ammunition shortages and production difficulties. Allies such as Hezbollah and Hamas and the Houthi movement in Yemen have remained hesitant, and Israeli airstrikes aimed at Iran’s security apparatus may tilt internal balances. At the same time, cyber threats add a new layer of risk across national boundaries, including critical infrastructure and allied states.
Globally, the crisis has sent shockwaves through energy markets, with oil shipping in the Strait of Hormuz becoming vulnerable. While major powers and international institutions call for de-escalation, military focus continues to override diplomacy, at least in the short term.
As the Iran–Israel conflict rages, the Middle East faces a dual threat: conventional military exchanges and the rise of digital escalation. Whether diplomacy can still draw back from the brink, or whether cyber and kinetic confrontations will compound into wider instability, remains uncertain – but the outcomes will reverberate far beyond the battlefield.
